Road Maintenance Best Practices

A rural perspective

Carry Grant

The fine print

• The opinions of the speaker in no way reflect signs of intelligent life or any official organization.

The fine print

• The opinions of the speaker in no way reflect signs of intelligent life or any official organization.

• If you were hoping for a highly technical and reveling presentation I suggest you take a break now!

The fine print

• The opinions of the speaker in no way reflect signs of intelligent life or any official organization.

• If you were hoping for a highly technical and reveling presentation I suggest you take a break now!

• This presentation is based on over thirty years of making mistakes.

The fine print

• The opinions of the speaker in no way reflect signs of intelligent life or any official organization.

• If you were hoping for a highly technical and reveling presentation I suggest you take a break now!

• This presentation is based on over thirty years of making mistakes.

• Heckling is encouraged but …..

Outline

• The accepted facts.

• What is a “Best Practice”

• Why we do it this way. Rural vs. Urban

• How we should do it.

• Benefits of doing it right.

• Do we need a program?

• Resources and references

• Questions.

The Accepted facts

• I don’t Know and I don’t know I don’t know! (three levels of learning).

The Accepted facts

• I don’t Know and I don’t know I don’t know! (three levels of learning).

• Best practices are born out of mistakes or bad practices.

The Accepted facts

• I don’t Know and I don’t know I don’t know! (three levels of learning).

• Best practices are born out of mistakes or bad practices.

• There is just not enough time in our lives to make all the mistakes yourself.

The Accepted facts

• I don’t Know and I don’t know I don’t know! (three levels of learning).

• Best practices are born out of mistakes or bad practices.

• There is just not enough time in our lives to make all the mistakes yourself.

• You will get some awesome help in making your mistakes.

The Accepted facts

• I don’t Know and I don’t know I don’t know! (three levels of learning).

• Best practices are born out of mistakes or bad practices.

• There is just not enough time in our lives to make all the mistakes yourself.

• You will get some awesome help in making your mistakes.

• We have always done it that way.

The Accepted facts

• I don’t Know and I don’t know I don’t know! (three levels of learning).

• Best practices are born out of mistakes or bad practices.

• There is just not enough time in our lives to make all the mistakes yourself.

• You will get some awesome help in making your mistakes.

• We have always done it that way.• The rural environment can be as sophisticated as the

urban environment.

What is a Best Practice?

• Most efficient?

What is a Best Practice?

• Most efficient?

• Works the easiest and fastest.

What is a Best Practice?

• Most efficient?

• Works the easiest and fastest.

• Costs the least (economical).

What is a Best Practice?

• Most efficient?

• Works the easiest and fastest.

• Costs the least (economical).

• Safest.

What is a Best Practice?

• Most efficient?

• Works the easiest and fastest.

• Costs the least (economical).

• Safest.

• Sustainable.

What is a Best Practice?

• Most efficient?

• Works the easiest and fastest.

• Costs the least (economical).

• Safest.

• Sustainable.

• Socially acceptable.

What is a Best Practice?

• Most efficient?

• Works the easiest and fastest.

• Costs the least (economical).

• Safest.

• Sustainable.

• Socially acceptable.

• All of these things over the long term.

Why this way?

• In Alberta the rural environment can include all the elements found in the urban setting.

Why this way?

• In Alberta the rural environment can include all the elements found in the urban setting.

• Someone, somewhere, at sometime, thought it was the best solution to the problem.

Why this way?

• In Alberta the rural environment can include all the elements found in the urban setting.

• Someone, somewhere, at sometime, thought it was the best solution to the problem.

• Practices are not reviewed on a regular timetable by most organizations.

Why this way?

• In Alberta the rural environment can include all the elements found in the urban setting.

• Someone, somewhere, at sometime, thought it was the best solution to the problem.

• Practices are not reviewed on a regular timetable by most organizations.

• Change is almost always met with a certain amount of resistance.

Why this way?

• In Alberta the rural environment can include all the elements found in the urban setting.

• Someone, somewhere, at sometime, thought it was the best solution to the problem.

• Practices are not reviewed on a regular timetable by most organizations.

• Change is almost always met with a certain amount of resistance.

• What is the motivation to change?

How ?

• The same practice may not be the best in every situation.

How ?

• The same practice may not be the best in every situation.

• Alberta has experts running around all over the place.

How ?

• The same practice may not be the best in every situation.

• Alberta has experts running around all over the place.

• The information age. THE INTERNET.

How ?

• The same practice may not be the best in every situation.

• Alberta has experts running around all over the place.

• The information age. THE INTERNET.

• How many of you over the course of these two days have questioned someone at the conference about a practice you are reviewing?

How ?

• The same practice may not be the best in every situation.

• Alberta has experts running around all over the place.

• The information age. THE INTERNET. • How many of you over the course of these two

days have questioned someone at the conference about a practice you are reviewing?

• The people we serve have access to all the same sources of information.

The Benefits.

• Staff and public pride.

The Benefits.

• Staff and public pride.

• Elimination of duplication and wasted effort.

The Benefits.

• Staff and public pride.

• Elimination of duplication and wasted effort.

• Improved communications.

The Benefits.

• Staff and public pride.

• Elimination of duplication and wasted effort.

• Improved communications.

• Improved efficiency and value.

The Benefits.

• Staff and public pride.

• Elimination of duplication and wasted effort.

• Improved communications.

• Improved efficiency and value.

• Adapting quicker to a changing environment.

The Benefits.

• Staff and public pride.

• Elimination of duplication and wasted effort.

• Improved communications.

• Improved efficiency and value.

• Adapting quicker to a changing environment.

• Better long range and succession planning.

The Benefits.

• Staff and public pride.

• Elimination of duplication and wasted effort.

• Improved communications.

• Improved efficiency and value.

• Adapting quicker to a changing environment.

• Better long range and succession planning.

• Identifying present and future needs.

The Benefits.

• Staff and public pride.

• Elimination of duplication and wasted effort.

• Improved communications.

• Improved efficiency and value.

• Adapting quicker to a changing environment.

• Better long range and succession planning.

• Identifying present and future needs.

• Encourage staff and program development.

Programs.

• Comparing what we are doing to a recognized standard or set of guidelines.

Programs.

• Comparing what we are doing to a recognized standard or set of guidelines.

• Force a review of best practices that may be missing or outdated.

Programs.

• Comparing what we are doing to a recognized standard or set of guidelines.

• Force a review of best practices that may be missing or outdated.

• Explore new ideas or technologies that may exist.

Programs.

• Comparing what we are doing to a recognized standard or set of guidelines.

• Force a review of best practices that may be missing or outdated.

• Explore new ideas or technologies that may exist.

• Infra Guide, Self assessment, Accreditation.

Programs.

• The review of best practices can be as simple as a checklist or as a major element in the process of strategic planning.

Programs.

• The review of best practices can be as simple as a checklist or as a major element in the process of strategic planning.

• This self assessment could involve a thorough, agency-wide evaluation of current management and operations policies, practices and procedures, referred to as "management practices," or simply "practices."

Programs.

• The review of best practices can be as simple as a checklist or as a major element in the process of strategic planning.

• This self assessment could involve a thorough, agency-wide evaluation of current management and operations policies, practices and procedures, referred to as "management practices," or simply "practices."

• The self assessment process assumes that the agency already has a fundamentally sound corporate culture which is ready for embarking on a process of improvement.

Programs.

• The self assessment process can be used to identify deficiencies which need correction in order to develop a healthy organization. Self assessment is not a substitute for sound management practices, it is a tool for allowing an agency to identify where the organization can make improvements and offers examples of sound management practices.

Resources.

• www.infraguide.ca.

• InfraGuide operated from 2001 to 2007 as a partnership between the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the National Research Council and Infrastructure Canada.

• InfraGuide's national network of experts produced a collection of case studies, best practice reports and e-learning tools for sustainable municipal infrastructure - offering the best in Canadian experience and knowledge.

Resources.

• www.apwa.net

• Self assessment using the Public Works Management Practices Manual is a valuable tool for determining how an agency's policies, procedures and practices compare to recommended practices identified by nationally recognized experts in the field of public works. Agencies can use the recommended practices contained in the manual as a model for developing or improving existing practices to enhance performance, increase productivity, and to strengthen employee morale.

More resources

• Ontario Municipal benchmarkinga common framework for assessing municipal performancestandard measures and definitionsstandard protocols for collecting and reporting dataa shared understanding about the factors that influence each municipality’s resultspeer review of data and processeswww.ombi.ca

Resources.

• www.publicworks.ca

• www.cpwa.net

• www.infraguide.ca.

• www.ombi.ca

Graders

• When our grading practices were first introduced this was the type of equipment we used,

Graders

• Over time and with many small steps we changed the equipment we used.

5 wheels to run?

?

• Wheels and sticks to control

Wheel & levers

Bigger and better?

Sticks only ?

What is next?

?

• Questions?

• www.publicworks.ca

• www.cpwa.net

• www.infraguide.ca.

• WWW.APWA.net

• www.ombi.ca